Lagos — Minister of Science and Technology, Grace Ekpiwhre, has urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to integrate traditional medicine practitioners in its innovation programme for Africa.

A statement by Chief Press Secretary, Mr Abdulganiyu Aminu, said Ekpiwhre made the call when the Director of Tropical Diseases Research of WHO, Dr Robert Ridley, visited her at the weekend in Abuja .

It quoted the minister as saying traditional medicine practitioners were a repository of valuable knowledge on medicine that could be of immense value to humanity.

It said she asked the WHO to devise ways of instilling confidence in the traditional medicine to allay the fears of losing their intellectual property rights, adding that "humanity will do well to tap from their knowledge."

The minister said that products of traditional medicine practitioners ought to be subjected to clinical trial to ascertain their suitability and safety for human consumption.

Speaking, Ridley said he was in the Ministry to brief the Minister about the outcome of the African Network for Drug and Diagnostic Innovation, (ANDI) meeting held between Oct. 6 and 8 in Abuja .

He said an African Innovations Fund was being proposed in collaboration with the World Bank and the ADB to leverage existing activities on funding of neglected tropical diseases in Africa and the world at large.

He said that WHO was interfacing with Science and Technology Sector to build capacity for innovation in the development of traditional medicine .

"Innovation is in the purview of science and technology. Science and Technology is very critical to the WHO project," he said.